Since I've started to learn how to weld, I've added a new page devoted to welding projects. The first pages are the Learning to Weld page, which I moved from the DeLorean Repair and Maintenance blog, and a trio of desktop speaker stands I used as a practice project. I expect I'll be adding more as time goes on and I come up with more things I need welded.

I don't like multi-monitor configurations, but I do like lots of screen space. Ultra High Definition (UHD) TVs are now available with 3840x2160 resolutions, and although it only has a 30 Hz refresh rate, the 50" model Seiki has a low price and is perfect monitor for programming. There were a few tricks in getting it positioned properly, getting Windows do run it in native resolution, and dealing with the TV-ness of it when using it as a monitor, but it works great now that it's all set up.

Our 2007 Hyundai Sonata has XM radio, which we never use. Unfortunately, it has no line-in jack for our phones. After dealing with ineffective radio tuners for a few years, I finally did some research on how to add a line in jack to the radio. It turns out a few people had done it before, and it was pretty straight-forward, as long as you're comfortable removing the radio and doing some light soldering to the XM harness. The final result is a working line-in jack that can plug right into any audio player with a 1/8" jack.

Winter is near, and I need to pull the DeLorean's engine to deal with a hole in the block. While the garage now has electricity, it's hard to beat sunlight for illumination, and it's still going to get pretty cold in the garage. I was also worried that electric heaters might blow the breakers when coupled with other power tools, and I don't have easy access to the breakers to reset them. I decided to tackle this problem with a propane heater and strip curtains mounted over the garage door.

I've converted the automotive Repairs and Maintenance page into a blog format. I'm starting to populate this with detailed information about the work I'm doing, including step-by-step instructions, links, pictures and other useful information. Hopefully others will find this useful, but it's also for my own information so that I can remember what I did and reference it when I inevitably need to do it again.

I take my dogs for walks in various parks and conservation areas. Many of my neighbors have dogs, so I've put together some links to the areas I frequent, as well as Google Maps generated from my GPS tracks. I've included information about the terrain, what's there for dogs, traffic, and if there is hunting or not, as well as links to official trail information. There are also links to dog-friendly hotels and dog parks in the area.

The source for the Lightwave plug-ins is now available on Github for anyone to experiment with. The code is quite old, but my hope is that someone will be able to do something useful with it. Click below for more...